This was the first time that Shao Xuan went up the mountain.
The higher the status of the people in the tribe, the higher the place they lived.
As they got closer to the top of the mountain, Shao Xuan felt that the children beside him, as well as Ge and several other warriors, who were leading the way, were no longer as casual as they were at the foot of the mountain. They became much more cautious.
When Shao Xuan and the others arrived, there were already many people gathered around the fire pit. People who lived at the foot of the mountain stood far away from the fire pit. According to the distribution of living places, the higher up the mountain, the closer they were to the fire pit.
Fortunately, although they were far away, the terrain was high, so they could barely see the situation around the fire pit.
How many people were there in the tribe?
He didn't know before, but now, Shao Xuan had a rough idea.
Everyone in the tribe had to attend the ceremony today, no matter if you were sick in bed or had trouble walking. Shao Xuan roughly estimated that there were no less than one thousand people, about one thousand and five hundred.
In Shao Xuan's opinion, one thousand people were not many, but it was the first time that Shao Xuan saw so many people after coming to the tribe, so it was very lively.
There was an open space at the top of the mountain, with a circular depression in the center. And in the middle of the depression, there was a flame swaying in the wind.
The fire pit.
This was the first time that Shao Xuan saw the fire pit of the tribe. It was very different from what he had imagined.
Shao Xuan had wondered why the fire pit was at the top of the mountain, because it was the coldest place in the whole mountain. Besides, the tribe already had relatively mature fire starters, so why did they still keep the fire pit? Everyone was full of awe when talking about the fire pit, and looked at the top of the mountain with unshakable piety.
People in the tribe said that the fire pit was related to the rise and fall of the tribe. As for how it was related, Shao Xuan had never learned it from others. Now, he could only find the answer with his own eyes.
The top of the mountain was large enough for everyone in the tribe to stand.
The depression in the middle had a radius of four to five meters, but the small flame burning in the center of the depression was like an ordinary candlelight. It was not bright and looked as if it would be extinguished by the wind. Moreover, Shao Xuan didn't see any firewood or other combustible materials in the fire pit, nor did he see any combustible materials under the flames.
Over there was the fire seed that had existed in the fire pit for a long time.
There was a circle of wooden stakes around the fire pit. The stakes were as tall as a person and very thick. There was a stone basin on top of each stake. Fresh meat, fruits, bird eggs and other things were piled up in the basins. They should be the sacrificial offerings.
There were also people standing beside the stakes. Listening to the discussions around, Shao Xuan knew that those people were the strongest hunters in each hunting group. Some of them were young people, and some were almost middle-aged. There were fifty people in total.
Those people also had the same patterns on their faces as Ge and the others. The difference was that the patterns on their faces were not only black, but also white and red. They were dressed more "solemnly". One of them had a huge antler on his head, which was much bigger than the ones that Shao Xuan saw along the way. The antler almost covered the man's entire body.
Except for the warrior with the huge antler, the others were not inferior to him. Shao Xuan thought that what he had seen on the way up the mountain was already exaggerated enough. He didn't expect that there would be even more exaggerated ones here.
Suddenly, the discussion around him became quiet. Shao Xuan looked over.
It was the Chief and the Shaman. Wherever they passed, the crowd automatically made way for them. They were especially respectful.
The Chief also had a thick antler on his head, while the Shaman was dressed lightly. He didn't wear anything too exaggerated. He only held a crutch, his back was a little hunched, and he was wearing a grey cloak made of animal skin.
This was the second time that Shao Xuan saw the Shaman. He didn't feel much different from when he raised Caesar last year.
Following behind the Chief and the Shaman were the people that people cared about the most in this ceremony.
There were nearly eighty children, ranging in age from ten to fourteen. These children followed the Chief and the Shaman to stand by the fire pit one by one.
Shao Xuan saw four people in the cave, including Mo-Er.
When he was in the cave, those children were so grumpy. But now, they were as quiet as obedient babies. Their hair was combed and some bone ornaments were woven. Since Shao Xuan met them, he had never seen them so neat.
"There are so many children this year." Someone nearby whispered.
"Yes, there were only thirty or forty last year. This year, there are twice as many."
"This is a good sign. With so many new blood joining, our tribe will become stronger."
"…"
The surrounding people were talking about it, and the group of children around Shao Xuan were also whispering. They were all envious, thinking about when they could also stand in the same place by the fire pit.
After waiting for a while, the preparations for the ceremony were finished. The ceremony began.
The Chief was called Ao, a very strong man. It was said that his strength ranked in the top three in the tribe.
Ao first spoke a few words about last year's harvest, and then looked forward to the future to boost the morale. In his previous life, Shao Xuan had heard similar words many times, so he didn't feel anything. However, some of the people around him were very excited. After the leader finished speaking, they raised their arms and roared twice. The group of little cubs also roared until their faces turned red.
After the Chief finished speaking, it was the Shaman's turn. The Shaman was the main part of the ceremony.
Nearly eighty children stood around the fire pit. They were even closer to the fire pit than the warriors who stood beside the wooden stakes.
The Shaman held a cane, bent his back, and stood at the edge of the fire pit. He opened his arms and began to chant.
The atmosphere suddenly turned tense. Everyone kept their mouths shut, and even their breathing was careful, afraid that it would affect the chanting.
The Shao Xuan didn't understand what the Shaman was singing. It didn't seem to be the tribe's usual language, and the tone was strange.
However, the weirder thing was still to come.
With the Shaman's chanting, the flame in the middle of the fire pit jumped and rolled. Without any combustion-supporting materials, the flame grew bigger and bigger, spreading to the surroundings. The flame rose higher and higher until it reached the edge of the fire pit and covered the whole sunken fire pit. The flame also jumped to three meters high. At the same time, above the flame, a pattern formed by flames gradually appeared, becoming clearer and clearer. The flame formed a pair of horns that were connected at the bottom and curved in the same direction, one inside and one outside. The two horns were wrapped in flashing flames.
That was the tribe's two-horn totem!
The first of the three Flames of the fire pit — Soaring Flame!
Soaring Flame, the totem appeared!
Not only did the totem patterns appear around the fire pit, but the totem patterns on the bodies of all the warriors present also appeared.
Everyone stared at the direction of the fire pit with pious eyes.
The sky was completely dark, and two crescent moons appeared at the two ends of the night sky. But at the top of the mountain, because of the raging flames in the fire pit, the surroundings were brightly lit and covered with a layer of red.
The Shaman's chanting didn't stop, but became louder and louder. Then, the sound of drums with a specific rhythm joined in. There were also the sounds of bones and stones hitting.
Someone was beating the animal skin drum. The sound of the drum varied, but it was different from the sound of some drums that Shao Xuan had heard in his previous life.
The sound of bones, stones, and drumming.
The male and female warriors standing beside the wooden stakes also moved and joined in. They followed the Shaman's chanting, one after another, with a certain distance between them. They formed a circle around the fire pit, waving their hands and feet and jumping.
That was the ancient dance that had been passed down since the founding of the tribe.
Shao Xuan remembered the words of his classmate who studied archaeology, "Many tribes have their own ancient dances, and it is also a very important part of the sacrificial ceremony of each tribe. It carries the unique ritual of the sacrificial ceremony of the tribe in a specific era, and also conveys the worship of the tribe to their ancestors. Not everyone can learn and dance this kind of dance, and it has to be done according to the ancient teachings passed down in the tribe. "
But now, those who were jumping around the fire pit were all elites in the tribe, and were also recognized by the tribe to be qualified to dance the ancient dance in the sacrificial ceremony.
Although those movements were funny in Shao Xuan's eyes, such an honor was indeed what everyone in the tribe wanted. When he was in the cave, Shao Xuan had heard a lot of kids fantasizing that one day they would become a member of the ancient dance in the sacrificial ceremony.
The rhythm of the performance was indescribably strange. The individual notes were either ear-piercing or dull, but when these notes were combined together, they were extremely suitable for the current situation. It made people feel that this was how it should be. At this time, place, and occasion, this was how the rhythm of the music should be.
However, compared to the ancient dance and the special rhythm, Shao Xuan cared more about those children standing by the fire pit.
When those selected warriors were dancing the ancient dance around the fire pit, the flames in the fire pit rolled up higher, and many flames flew out.
Yes, they flew out.
Sparks and flames flew out of the fire pit one after another and floated in the air.
The second flame of the fire pit — Flying Flame!
None of the children who were closest to the fire pit avoided it. They still stood there respectfully, letting the flames fly to their bodies.
Shao Xuan stared at them with his eyes wide open. After the flames flew to the children, they didn't burn them. Even their clothes didn't burn. It was as if the flames directly merged into their bodies.
As more and more flames merged into their bodies, the special patterns of totem warriors gradually appeared on some of the children's bodies. The more flames they touched, the clearer and more perfect the patterns became.
The boiling flames didn't only touch the children who were selected by the Shaman around the fire pit, but also spread to the edge of the gathering place. Many flames floated to the place where Shao Xuan was sitting.
Looking at the flames getting closer and closer, Shao Xuan wanted to dodge out of reflex, but he forced himself to calm down. Since the others didn't move, it shouldn't be as harmful as he thought.
Indeed, after touching the flames, Shao Xuan only felt a very comfortable warmth, but didn't feel burned.
Now Shao Xuan was relieved. He continued to stare at the fire pit, ignoring more and more flames flying to him. The children around the fire pit were the luckiest ones this year. They would obtain abilities from the flames of the fire pit and awaken their totem power. He didn't know whether the three children from the orphan cave and Mo-Er, who was only half a person from the cave, could succeed in awakening their totem power.
While he was watching, Tu, who was standing next to Shao Xuan, called his name in a low voice.
"A … Xuan! Xuan! "
"What?" Shao Xuan came back to his senses. He moved his eyes away from the fire pit, only to find that the children around him were looking at him as if they had seen a ghost.
"What's wrong?" Shao Xuan was confused. He was so absorbed in watching that he didn't pay attention to his surroundings.
Several children around him hurriedly stepped back, still looking at Shao Xuan in horror.
Tu swallowed his saliva and said, "You … you're on fire …"
"On what?" Shao Xuan was still confused. What was he talking about? What am I on fire?
"You … you're on fire …"
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